Nightmares
by Leigh-Masters
Summary: Faith is back with a difference and she's no the only one


Nightmares Buffy was doing her rounds in the cemetery, not many vampires tonight, which was great she was tired, she had to help Dawn with her school work, run the house this wouldn't have been that tiring if it wasn't for the fact she was the slayer, the chosen one yada, yada, yada. 'Nothing out here tonight,' she thought she turned to leave. "How are ya doing B." Buffy turned, 'it couldn't be' There leaning on a gravestone was Faith, "Long time no see,"  
********** Dawn was sat in her room, Tara and Willow were out for the night and Buffy was meant to be home half an hour ago. She had already eaten half the food in the cupboard which wasn't much, Buffy had forgotten to shop again and it was way too late to go to the shops, she'd just have to wait it out till morning. An hour or so later Buffy came in. "Wait here," she said and went in, she had to be sure Dawn was asleep, she'd explain to her about Faith in the morning. She walked into Dawn's room, she was curled up asleep on her bed. "Come on in," Faith walked up the stairs into Dawn's room, "Sweet kid B." "Yeah, I know," Buffy turned to face Faith, "Your bleeding," Her knuckles were cut and bleeding, there was a gash along her neck and she had a limp. "Get yourself in the shower, then we'll talk and patch you up,"  
********** A few hours later and Buffy was covering Faith's wounds and hey were talking about stuff mainly the reason Faith was here, "Hadn't the Watcher's Council locked you up?" "Yeah but I've done my time, they let me go," "So you came here?" "There was nowhere else to go," Faith replied, it was true the Mayor was dead, it had been a while since she got put away. Time passed and Buffy fell asleep on the chair leaving Faith on her own. She got up and made herself a coffee and ate some biscuits before climbing the stairs to Dawn's bedroom. There she watched Dawn toss and turn in her sleep. A lot had happened between being let off and coming here she had a run in with a vampire and those cuts were thanks to her sire, who after he turned her she fought and dusted him. Faith's face changed and her fangs appeared. She was hungry, so hungry she walked in the door and blacked out. When she came round, she was lead against the bed with Dawn in her arms, she stroked her hair, 'she seems so peaceful,' Faith felt something sticky on her fingers and she could taste blood in her mouth. 'Oh God!' Faith felt Dawn for a pulse, there was one but it was faint really faint. 'What do I do?' she had only been a vampire for a short time and she cared for Dawn like a sister, she couldn't just let her die, she impulsively drew her hand up and bit it, wincing slightly, she watched the blood well up and then tilted Dawn's head towards her, "Dawn, Dawn wake up, come on darling," Nothing, 'Damn it!' She tipped the blood into her mouth, "come on drink," After a minute or so Dawn's eye's fluttered , "Faith? Faith what's going on," "Ssshh, don't worry girl, you just get to sleep, ok, Ssshh, Ssshh" Faith rocked her back to sleep, just like a baby, "What's going on?" Buffy asked, she was standing by the door looking in on the scene. "Ssshh, nothing just a bad dream," Faith reassured her, "I thought she was a bit old for nightmares," Faith put Dawn on the bed, "you can never be too old for nightmares B."  
********** "Where's Dawny?" Willow asked, "it's getting dark, has she been a Jenna's all day?" "No, she's still in bed, I think," Buffy had convinced herself it was because she was up all night waiting for her, "it's probably better if you let her sleep, oh and don't go in the spare room, Faith's in there," "So she's out then?" Willow was hardly touching her food, "Yeah, apparently for good behavior," Buffy said. They both laughed, 'What's so funny?" Faith said appearing from the living-room, "You getting out," said Willow, "You're not known for being good are ya?" Dawn asked walking through the kitchen to find food, "Well people can change," Faith said giving Dawn a side glance, she looked back at Buffy, "I'm gonna look at some apartments, I'll be back soon," "What it's dark," Willow said, "Well, I was suppose to see it this afternoon but I slept in as you can see," Faith explained trying not to sound annoyed that she was poking her nose in, where it wasn't wanted. "Buffy, I'm starving and we're all out of food," Dawn said, "Can I have some change to buy some?" "Dawn it's after dark, you live in the Hellmouth, you aren't going to the shops," "Oh come on B." Faith said, "she's been asleep all day, I'll take her to get some food," "Be careful ok?" Buffy said, "and don't let her get into trouble, you hear," "Yeah, what ever!" "Cheers Buffy," And with that Dawn and Faith left.  
********** The road was deserted, all but a couple of people. "So kid, what do you want to do first?" "Don't call me kid!" Dawn snapped at her, "hey, have some respect for your sire!" "alright, alright, I'm sorry," Dawn clutched her stomach, "Can we eat now? I'm starving," They walked across town to the park. The only person there was a homeless guy, rapped in newspapers trying to keep himself warm in this cold august night. Dawn ran out into the park at the guy, the wind rushing through her hair, she ran full speed somehow tapping into hidden strength. She pounced, attacked and killed him before he even woke up. "God, you're better than you look," said a voice, this voice didn't belong to Faith. She looked up, in front of her stood a boy he couldn't have been more than 16 maybe 17. "Hey there," he said, "What's your name?" "Dawn Summers," "the slayer's sister, cool, what are you doing out on a cold autumn night all alone?" he asked edging himself closer to her, he wasn't the only one, Faith was closing in pretty fast, 'I can handle my self' she thought, a quick wave of her hand and Faith turned and sat on a bench at the other end of the park. "I'm not just her sister, I'm actually a person, you know?" She said closing in on him, "yeah, of corse you are, I'm just wondering if she knows what you're doing out here with her," he looked over with disgust at Faith. "So you know her then?" "Yeah, I know her she's a slayer, hunted me for years and I'm still alive, well sorta," "She's a vampire, that make her different now?" Dawn said putting her arms around him, "No, it makes her worse, she's not like me and you, you know? She's different" he said pulling her closer, "Too bad," she whispered, "Huh?" "She's my sire," "Oh," was the last thing that he said before he turned into a pile of dust, leaving just Dawn and her stake in the park. She calmly walked over to Faith. As soon as she saw Dawn, she rose up, "you wanna go home girl," Faith said, "I gotta nice apartment in mind,"  
********** "Where's Dawn? It's nearly light outside," asked Willow, "I don't know, you don't think anything bad happened to her do you? If she's hurt I'll kill Faith," Buffy ran to the phone and dialed Dawn's cell phone, "The phone you dialed is switched off, The phone you have." Buffy checked her sister's room everything had gone, "Willow, Willow get up here now!" She screamed, knowing that something had happened to her sister, "Where's Faith?"  
********** "He was right ya know," Faith said unpacking her 'new' clothes into the cupboard, "Who?" Dawn asked switching her phone off, "That guy in the park, he said 'you were better than you look,' he's right must be all that slayer strength ya got," "Slayer strength? you've been away too long, Buffy's the slayer remember," Dawn replied trying not to laugh, "From what I heard, you were 'forged from the blood of the slayer'," Images flashed in Dawn's head, images of Glory, Ben, the portal and Buffy diving down to sacrifice herself, 'Only Buffy could make Dawn's day all about her,' she thought whilst putting on her jacket and heading for the door, "So, I'm like you then, a vampire slayer vampire," Dawn said, "Yeah I guess," Faith said, "Hey where are you going?" "Out, I'm hungry, wanna come with?" "Sure, why not?"  
********** The alley was pitch black and only a band of light form the street lamp separated Buffy from the Darkness. Anyone else would have thought I was empty but not Buffy, she knew when a vampires were around especially dangerous ones, "Is that you B?" Faith called out, 'What?' Buffy thought but tried to keep her cool, Faith walked out of the shadows into the light, every bit of her features were illuminated including her twisted face and fangs. 'Oh great!' thought Buffy, she knew it was too good to be true, a reformed Faith? Oh well she'd just have to fight her but even as a human Faith was stronger than she was and now Faith was a vampire her strength was doubled maybe even tripled 'but' Buffy thought 'her wounds will make her slow and sluggish' she might just win this fight after all. Faith was the first slayer to move, hitting Buffy with a spectacular array of punches, Buffy tried her best to block them succeeding on most but the ones that made contact hurt and weakened Buffy slightly, Now it was Buffy's turn to strike back scissor kicks, round houses, everything that she could manage, Faith blocked a lot more than Buffy would have liked but nevertheless some got her, and got her good. This scene continued for half an hour longer, Buffy grabbed a crate from a pile to her left and smashed it over Faith's head knocking her unconscious,  
  
"Finally," Buffy picked out one of the splinters that were created from the smashing crate, rolled Faith onto her back, she felt some remorse for having to stake a friend but she had to do her job as the slayer and Faith forfeited her life when she fell into temptation and turned into this creature. Buffy pulled her arm back and was just about to slam the wood into Faith's heart when she heard the sound of a gun cock and felt the barrel leaning against the back of her neck. "This wouldn't kill a vampire but it would sure as hell kill you," the owner of the gun said, "Dawn?" Buffy rose to face her. "Thank god you're ok," Buffy slowly walked towards Dawn, "What happened? And where did you get that gun?" Buffy had to think fast, the easiest way to disarm a gun was a round house kick and with that the gun was sailing through he air. Dawn lunged at her, Buffy twisted her and pushed her against the wall. "C'mon, stake me!" Buffy knew it was her duty being the slayer but Dawn was her sister and. "C'mon do it already!" Dawn's demands were getting louder and more aggressive. Part of Buffy screamed 'stake her!' but the other remembered that she was her sister. "C'mon!!" The sister side won out and Buffy legged it out of he alley and on to the road.  
********** "So let me get this straight," Xander said sill pacing round the room, "you had a chance to kill a rouge slayer who tried o kill us on many occasions, but you didn't!" Buffy was still in shock it's not every day you find out this sort of stuff, still she couldn't bring herself to tell them about Dawn, "That's it I'm outta here ," Anya announced making sure she grabbed a bracelet off the shelf for protection, from what she heard she could use it.  
********** Dawn found herself alone whilst Faith visited some 'old friend'. She could do so much more, she knew it, she could feel I but there would always be someone in the way, Buffy, just then Dawn noticed someone some woman walking down he street, 'It's Anya,' she thought, Buffy's probably already told her, 'oh well' "Dawn is that you?" Anya asked breathing a sigh of relief, "What are you doing out so late?" 'Good Buffy hadn't told her," "You gotta help me Anya," She said running up to her, "Ssshh, don't worry, I know, I know about Faith," Anya grabbed he bracelet and gave it to Dawn, "Here take this," Dawn looked at the bracelet, it had green beads and Greek symbols on it, "What will it do?" Dawn asked trying not to laugh at Anya's ignorance, "It's a protection bracelet, protects the wearer from harm, good or bad," Anya could hear footsteps approaching, she turned and saw Faith walk round he corner. "Quick, Dawn run!" Anya turned toward Dawn and tried to run, the last thing Anya saw that night was a close up of Dawn's fist. ********** 


End file.
